Enhancing Taiwan’s role as “a regional security partner” and promoting global supply chain resilience are among the top priorities of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in the second year of US President Joe Biden’s presidency, AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk said on Wednesday evening.
Speaking at the annual Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, Oudkirk said that the US-China relationship is facing challenges in areas such as trade and human rights, while the US is also concerned about Beijing’s ties with Moscow, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the Indo-Pacific region, China’s aggressive behavior is especially obvious in Taiwan, where Beijing continues to exert military, diplomatic and economic pressure, she said.
Photo: CNA
China continues to “choke Taiwan’s international space, pressure its friends and interfere in Taiwan’s democratic system,” which poses a threat to all democratic countries, she said.
China’s provocative military activities near Taiwan are disrupting stability and peace in the region, she added.
To counter China’s actions, the US would continue “standing with allies and partners to advance our shared prosperity, security and values in the region,” which is at the core of Biden’s foreign policy, Oudkirk said before discussing the AIT’s objectives.
First, the US would continue to assist Taiwan in enhancing its defensive capabilities to improve “Taiwan’s role as a regional security partner,” as stability across the Taiwan Strait is key to regional peace and in the US’ interests, she said.
The US is “deeply concerned by ongoing PRC [People’s Republic of China] efforts to undermine that stability,” she added.
Second, the US would work with Taiwan to bolster global supply chain resilience through a series of initiatives, as Taiwan is at the center of the semiconductor supply chain, and a pioneer in 5G technology and artificial intelligence, Oudkirk said.
Taiwan would play a crucial role in the recovery of supply chains affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.
The US is to use the Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration framework to encourage investment in semiconductors, electric vehicles, cybersecurity, renewable energy and energy storage from both sides, she said.
The AIT this summer is to form trade delegations to visit the US to discuss the framework, which would help “build scalable eco-systems and enhance collaboration between and among companies, research institutions and innovation centers,” she added.
Third, the US would keep “supporting efforts to preserve and expand Taiwan’s international space,” offering more opportunities for Taiwan to share its expertise at multilateral forums and interact with international partners, she said.
The institute would also strive to deepen “economic and people-to-people ties” between the US and Taiwan in high-tech fields and beyond, she said.
Taiwan was the sixth-largest consumer of US agricultural products and the US’ eighth-largest trade partner in goods last year, with per capita trade only behind Canada and Mexico, she said.
Last year, the US and Taiwan relaunched Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks and held the second Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which would promote economic cooperation between the nations and help “build a coalition to counter the PRC’s unfair economic and investment policies,” she added.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s